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In this photo released on January 15, 2021, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, missiles are launched in a drill in Iran. (Iranian Revolutionary Guard/Sepahnews via AP)
Israel is lobbying the United States to push for improved international oversight of Iran’s nuclear program, as Washington negotiates to reenter the 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers, Israeli television reported Tuesday.
Jerusalem is pushing for International Atomic Energy Agency officials to have greater powers in inspecting the nuclear sites, the Kan public broadcaster said. The position was formulated after Israeli officials concluded there will not be significant changes to the treaty, but nonetheless sought to slightly improve the terms of the pact, the network said.
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel s diplomatic reporter
Left: US President Joe Biden speaks about Russia in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik); Right: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers at the Yad LeBanim House on the eve of Memorial Day, in Jerusalem, Tuesday, April 13, 2021. (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)
Optimistic notes albeit somewhat tempered are being sounded this week in Vienna as Iran and the United States try to reach an agreement on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
“After days of intensive talks,” tweeted Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, “it appears that we are now on the right track. But difficult way to go.”
The incident at the Natanz nuclear site took place April 11
TEHRAN, April 17. /TASS/. Iran will go ahead with its nuclear program despite assassinations of nuclear scientists and subversive acts at its nuclear facilities, Chief of Staff of the President of Iran Mahmoud Vaezi said in a Twitter post on Friday.
Read also Iranian [nuclear] progress cannot be stopped by assassinating of nuclear physicists and damaging nuclear facilities, he wrote. The start of uranium enrichment to 60% is a clear indication of Iran’s progress and an obvious sign to adversaries.
The incident at the Natanz nuclear site took place April 11. Iran reported that an outage was registered at the site’s power distribution grid, which led to an explosion. There were no victims or environmental damage. The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Ali Akbar Salehi called the incident a display of nuclear terrorism. The New York Times claimed citing its sources that the explosion was organized by Israel.
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In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani addresses the nation in a televised speech in Tehran, Iran, February 10, 2021. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani sought to allay Western concerns on Wednesday over his country’s decision to enrich uranium to 60% purity, saying the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program is “peaceful,” as talks over the battered 2015 nuclear deal resumed in Vienna.
Rouhani said it was a “mistake” for Europe and the United States to express concerns that the move “means we can enrich to 90% in one go.”